Contact

Program Director: Michael D. Curran, D.D.S.
Office: Oak Ridge Branch Campus, Room D-106
Office Telephone: (865) 481-2000, ext. 2127
FAX: (865) 481-2019
Mailing Address: Roane State Community College, 701 Briarcliff Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Who are Dental Hygienists an What do they do?

Dental hygienists clean teeth and provide other preventive dental care, as well as teach patients how to practice good oral hygiene. Hygienists examine patients' teeth and gums, recording the presence of diseases or abnormalities. They remove calculus, stains, and plaque from teeth; take and develop dental x rays; and apply cavity preventive agents such as fluorides and pit and fissure sealants. In some States, hygienists administer local anesthetics and anesthetic gas; place and carve filling materials, temporary fillings and periodontal dressings; remove sutures; and smooth and polish metal restorations. Dental hygienists also help patients develop and maintain good oral health. For example, they may explain the relationship between diet and oral health, inform patients how to select toothbrushes, and show patients how to brush and floss their teeth. Dental hygienists use hand and rotary instruments to clean teeth, x-ray machines to take dental radiographs, prepare syringes with needles to administer local anesthetics, and take impressions of patients’ teeth.

Where do Dental Hygienists work?

Almost all dental hygienists work in private dental offices. Some work in public health agencies, hospitals, and clinics

What are the working conditions like?

More than half of all dental hygienists worked part time-less than 35 hours a week. Flexible scheduling is a distinctive feature of this job. Full-time, part-time, evening, and weekend work is widely available. Dentists frequently hire hygienists to work only 2 or 3 days a week, so hygienists may hold jobs in more than one dental office. Dental hygienists work in clean, well-lighted offices. Important health safeguards include strict adherence to proper radiological procedures, and use of appropriate protective devices when administering anesthetic gas. Dental hygienists also wear safety glasses, surgical masks and gloves to protect themselves from infectious diseases, such as hepatitis.

What kind of training is required to be a Dental Hygienist?

Dental hygienists must be licensed by the State in which they practice. To qualify for licensure, a candidate must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene school such as Roane State’s and pass both a written and clinical examination. The American Dental Association Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations administers the written examination that is accepted by all States and the District of Columbia. State or regional testing agencies administer the clinical examination. In addition, examinations on legal aspects of dental hygiene practice are required by most States. An associate degree is sufficient for practice in a private dental office.

About half of the dental hygiene programs prefer applicants who have completed at least 1 year of college. Some of the bachelor's degree programs require applicants to have completed 2 years. However, requirements vary from school to school. These schools offer laboratory, clinical, and classroom instruction in subjects such as anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, nutrition, radiography, histology (the study of tissue structure), periodontology (the study of gum diseases), pathology, dental materials, clinical dental hygiene, and social and behavioral sciences. Dental hygienists should work well with others and must have good manual dexterity because they use dental instruments with little room for error within a patient's mouth. Recommended high school courses for aspiring dental hygienists include biology, chemistry, and mathematics.

What levels of advancement are available in this career?

If you want to advance into research, teaching, or clinical practice in public or school health programs, a bachelor's or master's degree is usually required.

Earnings

• Median U.S. salary: $44,000 annually
• Median Tennessee salary: $39,000 annually

Earnings of dental hygienists are affected by geographic location, employment setting, and education and experience. Dental hygienists who work in private dental offices may be paid on an hourly, daily, salary, or commission basis. According to the American Dental Association, experienced dental hygienists who worked 32 hours a week or more in a private practice averaged about $759 a week in 1995. Benefits vary substantially by practice setting, and may be contingent upon full-time employment. Dental hygienists who work for school systems, public health agencies, the Federal Government, or State agencies usually have substantial benefits.

Job outlook

Because multiple job holding is common in this field, the number of jobs greatly exceeds the number of hygienists. Employment of dental hygienists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2006, in response to increasing demand for dental care and the greater substitution of hygienists for services previously performed by dentists. Demand will be stimulated by population growth, and greater retention of natural teeth by the larger number of middle-aged and elderly people. Also, dentists are likely to employ more hygienists for several reasons. Older dentists, who are less likely to employ dental hygienists, will leave and be replaced by recent graduates, who are more likely to do so. In addition, as dentists' workloads increase, they are expected to hire more hygienists to perform preventive dental care such as cleaning, so they may devote their own time to more profitable procedures.

Related fields

Workers in other occupations supporting health practitioners in an office setting include dental assistants, ophthalmic medical assistants, podiatric medical assistants, office nurses, medical assistants, physician assistants, physical therapy assistants, and occupational therapy assistants.

For additional information

Division of Professional Development
American Dental Hygienists' Association
444 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 3400
Chicago, IL 60611

Commission on Dental Accreditation
American Dental Association
211 E. Chicago Avenue, Suite 1814
Chicago, IL 60611

Accreditation

The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

Class location

Dental Hygiene program classes are located at the Oak Ridge Branch Campus.

Length of program

After you complete your prerequisites and are accepted into the Dental Hygiene program, it will take you 2 years to complete the program.

Degree

When you complete Roane State’s program, you will be awarded an Associate of Applied Science degree in Dental Hygiene.

Job placement

Roane State’s placement rate has been 100% for the past few years.

Costs

Fees/semester (12 hours@ $95/credit hr.):  $1115.00 per semester
Technology Access Fee:  $112.50 per semester
Books: $512 (first year), $200 (second year)

Call the RSCC Bookstore (882- 4671) for titles and prices
Instruments: Approximately $940 (first year), $300(second year)
Uniforms: Approximately $220 (first year)
Student Association dues (mandatory): $40 per year
Radiation badges: $35 (first year), $70 (second year)
Recommended Vaccinations: Hepatitis – approximately $100
National Board Examination: $130
Southern Regional Examination: $525

Admission to the program

First, you must be accepted as a Roane State student.

1. Submit an application for general admission to RSCC and pay a one-time $20 application fee.
2. If you were born after 1957 or you have a GED certificate, you will need to submit proof of two MMR shots to the Center for New Student Admissions. However, if you graduated from a Tennessee high school after 1978 and have attended schools in Tennessee all your life, you only need proof of one shot. (The first MMR shot is assumed.) If you graduated from a Tennessee high school in 1999 or 2000, you do not need to submit any form. (The MMR shots would have been given before you entered the 12th grade.)
3. Submit an OFFICIAL transcript from all high school(s) or college(s) you have attended to Records and Registration. An official transcript is one that is in an unopened, sealed envelope from the high school or college.
4. If you are under 21, and have taken the ACT test within the last 3 years and your score on all parts is 19 or better, you will NOT be required to take the COMPASS placement test to determine if you need any remedial/developmental classes. If you are over 21, you WILL be required to take the COMPASS test. The RSCC Counseling Center (882-4546) can tell you the times and locations where the tests will be given.
5. After you take the COMPASS test, you will need to meet with an advisor to determine your course of study.
   
   Then, you need to be accepted into the Dental Hygiene program.
     
6. The applicant must meet one of the following minimum academic requirements:
   1. Students under 21 years of age must attain a composite score of 20 or above on the ACT taken within the last 3 years OR attain a GPA of 2.50 or better after completion of at least 8 semester hours of general education courses required in the program.
   2. Students 21 years of age or older must attain a GPA of 2.50 or better after completion of at least 8 semester hours of general education courses required in the program.
7. Apply for acceptance into the program by completing a Health Science application and submitting it to the Health Science/NSG department. (There is no fee for this application). They will begin building a file for you that must be completed before the program deadline date of the year for which you wish to enter the program. The program deadline date for Dental Hygiene is the third Friday in January. This means, if you want to be accepted to begin the Dental Hygiene program in August, you must have all your paperwork submitted by the third Friday in January in order to be considered for the class that begins in the Fall.
   All students meeting minimum criteria will be considered competitively, based on ACT score or GPA in required general education courses completed in some Health Science programs. It will be to your benefit to complete as many general education courses as possible by the application deadline. MEETING MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS DOES NOT GUARANTEE ACCEPTANCE. Students that do not meet minimum requirements will only be considered under special circumstances and on a space available basis. Preference will be given to Tennessee residents.
8. Final selection of students will be made by the Health Sciences Admissions Committee. The Dental Hygiene Program utilizes the following factors in ranking and acceptance of applicants:
   1. The number of required science courses (BIOL 2010, 2020 2230; CHEM 1010) completed.
   2. The student’s GPA for required science courses completed.
   3. Work experience in the field of Dentistry. If work experience is to be considered, the applicant must bring to the interview a current resume with permission to contact employers. If the applicant is a Certified and/or Registered Dental Assistant, a copy of Certification and/or Registration must be brought to the interview. It is highly recommended that applicants without work experience in dentistry spend time observing a dental hygienist. During this observation, the applicant should gain a full understanding of the dental hygienist’s duties and responsibilities, as well as an understanding of OSHA regulations on bloodborne pathogens. All observation time should be completed prior to the interview.
   4. Results of a personal interview. Interviews will be granted only to applicants who have met the minimum requirements for admission to the Health Science programs. Interviews will be conducted during the latter part of the spring semester. After the applicant’s files have been reviewed, the interviews are scheduled by telephone. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make certain that we have work and/or home telephone numbers that will be current for this time period. If your telephone number or numbers have changed from those provided on your Health Science application, you must send the changes in a timely manner to the DHT program director at the address listed at the top of the page.
9. Admission to the program is required prior to enrolling in most health science program courses.
10. All remedial and developmental courses MUST be completed prior to enrolling in specialty courses. All DHT courses must be taken in sequence. All required science courses (BIOL 2010, 2020, 2230; CHEM 1010) must be taken in the sequence listed in the curriculum if applicant is admitted to the program OR any of the courses may be completed prior to the beginning of the program in August. Admission to the DHT program is required prior to enrolling in any DHT courses. All DHT courses are taught on the Oak Ridge Campus.
11. Students are responsible for obtaining patients necessary to meet clinical requirements.